Is that Fred Jackson saying that? Not trying to be (too) cynical, it just sounds like something he would say.

OTOH - I am excited about the (potential ) of our receiving core. Chesson got the blocking down last year. More practice will help on his route running and decision making. Hoping Darboh bounces back and expecting Funchess to be one of the best WR in the B1G.

His only competition at the true slot position is Dennis Norfleet unless Justice Hayes moves back...and even then it's another converted RB.

I still think Chesson will end up being the 3rd WR, but to me, Canteen has ALWAYS been the #1 slot guy.

I wonder how Moe Ways is progressing because if he's showing flashes, Drake Harris may be headed for a redshirt year.

“True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is noise — the other, loyalty.”

You're right in the sense that Canteen doesn't have much competition for the slot, but the hype doesn't seem relative to just being out in front for that position. Almost every report I see (which shouldn't be taken too seriously) just gush about the kid.

Chesson is a guy I'm still excited about. He was probably forced to play a year too early after Darboh's injury, but he fared pretty well. 15/221/1 and a bunch of great blocking. It's part of the reason I'm not terrified of a scenario where Darboh doesn't live up to what we thought he'd be.

I think Harris is redshirting. Ways isn't on campus yet, but I still feel that way. Harris' hammy issue and strength issue signal a redshirt. IMO, if he does play it'll be halfway though the season and we'll end up regretting it.

OL is the position that requires the largest physical leap from high school to college, so I don't think it's unreasonable when people are nervous about starting a freshman in OL. Skill positions are completely different. Look back at AP or Julio Jones and tell me they could not have competed in the NFL as freshman? Now name a freshman OL who you htink could have been a starter/impact player in the NFL?

Harris again?..... He missed his entire Senior season due to a hammy injury.....now it flares up again. I'm officially concerned now. How does a highly trained 18 year old not get his hammy to heal up?

Thx. Not sure if mwolverine.com is valid at all but I was thinking of Jones and Yorks as outside guys. They have Canteen/Harris/Norfleet/Hayes as the slots. We'll know better how the coaches think these guys play out in terms of positions once some depth charts come out.

....or at least, it is relative terms, Harris talked a little about this (HERE):

"It's nothing too major, I pulled it, so I think I'm probably going to sit out the rest of spring," Harris said Tuesday. "It's nothing major. I'm just still trying to get stronger in the weight room and get back."

He did mention that it was in a different area and that he could still do certain things, so I am not going to be too worried. Hopefully, he rests it and is good to go for workouts later this year.

"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."

He just came out of high school, he has no idea what highly trained is yet. Plus, hamstrings tend to linger even among the best trained pros. So be concerned, but be happy He is now training with the Michigan staff.

No one is saying Canteen is the second coming of anything. He's just running with the ones. Receiver is a position that a player can come right in and do well. Lineman is not. I'll spare the long response, but if you can't see Frank Clark's improvement, I don't know what to tell you. Frank came in as a player that was not even big enough to be a linebacker.

The problem is you read too much into what is said and then cause yourself disappointment. It's not that people are overhyping what is happening in spring practice. It is that readers see what they want to see and then assume things like Frank Clark is the next Strahan, but yet literally no one said that last year. Or anything like that.

We also have 2 returning WRs with game experience including a big fat zero in the slot unless you consider Justice Hayes and Norfleet experienced slot guys... so it's not too hard to run with our 1s at this point. Not really many people to jump in front of on the depth chart.

Hayes and Norfleet are both extremely good athletes. I don't know why you're knocking them. It's no small task to come in as a 17 or 18 year old and immediately win the top spot over a couple of guys with two years in the program. And Norfleet has been getting good Spring reviews as well so he's definitely not just a returner filling in at the slot position.

"Michigan Defense" is dominating everything, in every aspect of life. That's a rough definition.

I am not "knocking them"- it is one thing to play WR for 3-4 years and then be asked to move up to the NCAA level against college level athletes to play it again. It is another to change positions mid stream and excel at it. I am simply stating there is little competition there - we are trying to convert a guy who has been returning balls and occassionally running a sweep or reverse and a guy who has limited action as running back into our slot WRs. So Canteen has a major leg up as he is competing as a position he has experience at.

We heard you the first time. You've had just about enough of the hype!

We know practice reports are full of crap, for the most part. However, it's the off-season and this stuff was tweeted out today. It's been passed along and we're discussing it. It's a positive sign that a young kid is doing well. Nobody is saying he's DeSean Jackson.

Your little tag line is cute and all, but if you're not going to be able to discuss football for the next five months without being a vagina, you should probably just give this up.

Completely hear your point ,cigol. I just cannot muster the enthusiasm to absorb the amount of pre-season material that I have for the last 30 years. I am like a deflated balloon. Until this team shows signs of being for real again, my broken heart is in protect mode.

These coaches have a lot to prove.

Psychic power is the ability to download information directly from the Universe.”
― Lada Ray

"It's nothing too major, I pulled it, so I think I'm probably going to sit out the rest of spring," Harris said Tuesday. "It's nothing major. I'm just still trying to get stronger in the weight room and get back.

Harris says the injury took place on the same hamstring that caused him to miss his entire senior season of high school at Grand Rapids Christian . He says the injury isn't nearly as severe now as it was in high school, though, and says it took place at a different spot on his hamstring. "It's a different spot," he said. "(It wasn't really that scary) because the way I felt it this time was a lot different from what I did in high school. I knew it wasn't too bad."

Harris was asked if he could practice at this point if he absolutely had to, he responded "maybe, it's pretty tender." He says he can still run on it some, and he's spending most of his time right now working with the strength and conditioning staff.

You're really bringing a refreshing negativity to this thread. Such a unique perspective on a Michigan blog.

Elite level athletes (and really any athlete) at that age also knows what a pulled muscle feels like. If he can even jog on it then it's not torn or even badly strained. We have no reason to doubt what he's saying.

"Michigan Defense" is dominating everything, in every aspect of life. That's a rough definition.

Yes- Canteen looked great but so did Funchess, York, Chesson, Dukes, Norfleet, and even Wangler who seems to have great hands. Jake Butt is likely to be back early in the season but AJ Williams, Khaleed Hill looked pretty good as well catching the ball. Shallman, Kerridge and Houma all looked good running routes and had some nice catches in practice as well. All the backs seemed pretty effective catching pases out of the backfield although Green was not as sure handed as Hayes. Even Capatina (walk on?) who holds for place kicking got some reps at slot and made some nice catches in traffic. I think receiver is very strong and Harris just adds to this list. The reciever corps may be the strongest and deepest area of our roster right now on offense. Nice to have great QB's throwing to them also.

"It's 3rd and 8 and he will just find the opening in the defense and get open to move the chains. I really believe his footwork makes him unguardable against man coverage and he's going to eat zone coverage alive too."

Comments like this are where the over-the-top hype gets started. Somebody comes here from another board, sees your comment, and repeats it verbatim, or more likely embellishes it further.

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." — Mencken

I actually just told it to my brothers friends cousins brother and he is pretty stoked. Penned a letter, put it in a bottle and then threw it in Houghton Lake for others to find and share. So yeah, it's out there

I'm not sure whether it's a good thing that Canteen is running with the ones, or a bad thing. If it's true, I'm not sure if that says more about how good Canteen is playing, or if it says something about our current WR's. I'm going to look at this as the glass is half full, rather than the glass is cracked and we are F'd.

it does not shock me he's running w/the ones. Afterall, he went to a school majoring in fb, and if they weren't damn good at fundamentals, that would be shocking. However, without his foot speed, he would not be there, so we should be optimistic about that. Now on to Negative Nancy. You are correct as well. BH inherited a qb that Borges couldn't fuck up because to run another offense would have been sacrosant. But you are correct in pointin out he's amassed a shit-ton of talent, on both sides of the ball. Now's the t!!! to 'GET ER DONE" as that once comic likes to say. But the equal 1/2 sides of my optimism and questioning persona says this is also the year that Brady has always proven he's the best in whichever conference he's coached in, so i'm expecting like results. If this does not pan out, it would mean, to me anyway, he's reached his level of excellence and I would just hate for that to be true. Go Brady, Go Blue!!!!!!

Ok we get it! Every year the players fail to live up to the offseason hype and you want to see it on the field. Well, how about you skip the offseason hype threads and reserve comment until its time for them to get on the field?

While we're at it, you hate coachspeak? Stop reading the pressers. Hookers make you uncomfortable? Stay out of East Lansing. It could all be so simple.

What sucks more than losing to Sparty? Losing to Ohio! What sucks more than losing to Ohio? NOTHING!

Awesome news on Canteen. Too bad on Harris. He's missing a toof football for a hamstring injury. Would like to be able to redshirt more guys, can't keep playing so many freshman, it hurts you in the long run. Need to have a team with a bunch of 5th year guys to compete for the crown.